A Sinister Turn
Zeratul's Warband |side2= Zhakul Guardians |side3= |side4= |commanders1= Zeratul |commanders2= Maar |commanders3= |commanders4= |forces1= |forces2= |forces3= |forces4= |casual1= |casual2=Heavy |casual3= |casual4= |concattop=x }} A Sinister Turn is a Wings of Liberty mission. It is told as a flashback of Zeratul's actions, viewed by Jim Raynor through the ihan crystal. History Background After much searching, Zeratul discovered the fragments of a prophecy foretelling the end of the xel'naga cycle on Ulaan. The meaning was unclear to him, but he believed the preservers of Zhakul would be able to interpret the prophecy. Aboard Void Seeker, the prelate journeyed to the forbidden archive world of Zhakul to find them.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Whispers of Doom (in English). 2010-07-27. Darker forces were already at work on Zhakul. A hybrid destroyer, Maar, had imprisoned the three preservers Zeratul sought and was leeching their energies. It had also subverted some protoss facilities and left others abandoned. When Zeratul arrived he found the planet "strangely silent."Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, A Sinister Turn (in English). 2010-07-27. Freeing the Preservers The prelate reactivated an unpowered base and began to investigate. He only sensed the spirits of the three preservers were imprisoned, but not the hybrid Maar's presence or activities. When the hybrid appeared, freeing the preservers took on an even more urgent nature. The hybrid demonstrated remarkable regenerative abilities. When defeated in the field it restored itself with the preservers' energies. Zeratul finally overcame it by freeing the preservers. Aftermath :Main article: ''campaign quotations The preserver triumvirate examined the fragments. The clarification provided prompted Zeratul to depart in search of the Overmind on Aiur. SinisterProphecy1 SC2 Story1.jpg|..."The cycle shall draw to its end"... ..."The Xel'Naga who forged the stars shall transcend their creation"... SinisterProphecy2 SC2 Story1.jpg|..."Yet, the Fallen One shall remain"... ..."Destined to cover the void in shadow"... SinisterProphecy3 SC2 Story1.jpg|..."It begins with the Great Hungerer"... ..."It ends... in utter darkness"... Raynor's Assessment Raynor encountered a hybrid previously at a secret Dominion laboratory at CastanarBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Piercing the Shroud (in English). 2010-07-27., and experiencing Zeratul's encounter through an ihan crystal put the threat in perspective. The rebel was concerned that even the protoss had difficulty combating the hybrid.Conversation with Matt Horner after StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty mission, "A Sinister Turn".Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Matt Horner (in English). 2010. Although Raynor experienced Maar's power second hand, he deduced it was a protoss/zerg hybrid and recognized the threat it posed.Conversation with Matt Horner after StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty mission, "A Sinister Turn".Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Matt Horner (in English). 2010. Gameplay Build up an economy and some photon cannons to ward off the non-Maar attacks. Quickly secure the robotics facility to the west; the immortals are needed to fight Maar. The dark shrine and templar archives on the east side are protected by the eastern enemy base. This is an easier expansion spot than the western base, which is guarded by archons and . Keep Maar's attention on the immortals; their hardened shields are better able to withstand the punishment. Use s' Feedback to deal damage and prevent the hybrid from using abilities. Do not tarry: Maar becomes stronger with every reincarnation (up to a certain point). On Hard and Brutal levels, void rays and even a carrier will be seen protecting the preservers. Infiltrate to destroy the preserver prisons; avoid Maar as it is a detector. Achievements s and photon cannons. Send an attack force 8 zealots and 6 stalkers to secure the inactive buildings; add the reinforcements to this force. Attack the main base in the south. Head straight for the preservers; destroy only units and cannon that stand in the way. Retreat and avoid Maar when it respawns. Alternatively, disable or occupy the defending cannon to give a clear path to the prisons. The northwest prison is covered by a cannon and two zealots; kill the zealots and ignore the cannon. Maar is also a detector; withdraw the dark templar into the corner when the hybrid respawns. |editname= }} Notes While it'd be expected that the corrupted protoss used the Hybrid Honors decal, they were actually utilizing the Templar Caste insignia, visible on their photon cannons, gateways, and robotics facilities. The abandoned structures that Zeratul's force powered up during this mission also carried this decal, which was particularly visible in the abandoned robotics facility. This probably means that the Zhakul Guardians belonged to the Templar Caste before Maar's arrival. Karass and his warriors, who were part of the Daelaam, were killed in the previous mission, Whispers of Doom, with the only survivors being but a few stalkers. In spite of this, Zeratul's forces in this mission wore the Daelaam Regalia. References Category:Wings of Liberty missions